Lady Gaga and Cher help lift MTV's Video Music Awards telecast to best ratings in 8 years

Critics may have frowned at the program and host Chelsea Handler, but Sunday's VMA Awards telecast on MTV still drew the show's best ratings in eight years.

An average of 11.4 million viewers tuned in to the two-hour telecast, a 27% increase over last year, according to the Nielsen Co. It was the ceremony's most-watched telecast since 2002 -- the year that Michael Jackson mistakenly accepted the non-existent Artist of the Millennium award -- when 11.9 million viewers showed up. 

This year, with the ceremony returning to Los Angeles after taking place in New York last year, online buzz centered on outrageous fashion statements by Lady Gaga (wearing an all-meat dress) and Cher, along with more than a few critical brickbats for first-time host Handler. Reviewers complained that her opening fell flat -- including a skit where Lindsay Lohan lectured her on sobriety -- and contained humor that, according to the Washington Post, fell "a few degrees below crass."

-- Scott Collins (follow me on Twitter @scottcollinsLAT)

Comments

[Frank]

Why do people always mention Michael Jackson accepting the non existent artist of the millenium award. These people do realize that after, MTV admitted that he had in fact won it.

BUT the most ridiculous thing is that very year, he had been awarded the artist of the millenium award in many countries around the world. So why keep bringing it up? It makes MTV look ridiculous...!

[Nikki]

Agreed CH was awful. And she looks incredibly old.

[diggerdo]

Leave Chelsea Handler alone. She did what she does: comments on how bad the TV form at the same time she's doing it.
She gets a learning curve on thre hosting business.
And she should get most of the credit for the ratings. The Chelsea brand anyway. The buzz going in was all for her.
Nobody watched it for grandma Cher or the Gaga costumes - that's all after the fact.

[RickG63]

It was All Gaga nothing to do with Cher.To me the show was a flop Handler was crude.Bieber was lip singing.And who cares about rap.

[Michael H]

Cher made the show people. face it